Relationship between Critical Flicker Fusion (CFF) thresholds and personality under three auditory stimulus conditions

We investigated the relationship between critical flicker fusion (CFF) thresholds and 5 personality characteristics: alienation, social nonconformity, discomfort, expression, and defensiveness under 3 auditory stimulus conditions: quiet, noise, and meaningful verbal stimuli. Sixty undergraduate students aged between 18 and 26 participated in this experiment. Personality characteristics and CFF thresholds were measured by the Arabic version of Lanyon’s Psychological Screening Inventory and by a visual perception control apparatus, respectively. The results showed that (1) auditory stimulation did not have any significant effects on CFF thresholds, (2) participants who scored high in the social nonconformity scale had higher CFF thresholds than those who scored low, and (3) no other personality characteristics had any significant effects on CFF thresholds. These findings suggest a possible connection between higher CFF thresholds and an inner tendency to revolt against an established order.